J.D. Robb discussion

Nominations are now being accepted for our Feb. 2019 Book of the Month. Please review the Guidelines below prior to making your nomination.

Nominations open Jan. 18-23
Poll open Jan. 24-29

Please note: You may nominate any book from the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller genre or from any one of the many sub genres, with the exception of books by J.D. Robb and Nora Roberts. We explore Robb's In Death series in Buddy Reads & other discussions in this group. And we read & discuss Nora Roberts books with our sister group, Nora Roberts Groupies. We encourage you to join the discussions any time.

Monthly Book Nomination Guidelines:

1-Each member may nominate 2 books per month. Please include a link to the book that you nominate.

2-We respectfully ask that you only nominate books that you are intending to read and discuss with this group!

3-Nominated books must be from the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller genres or one of the many sub genres.

4-Nominated books must be the first book in a series unless the Robb group has previously read the preceding books.

5-If your nomination wins the poll, we would love for you to consider leading the Book of the Month discussion for that month.

6-J.D. Robb and Nora Robert books are not eligible for nomination. We invite you to join us as we explore the In Death series books in our In Death Buddy Reads and enjoy discussing the Nora Roberts titles in our sister group, Nora Roberts Groupies.

I nominate two books this time:

Pray for a Brave Heart Helen MacInnes a 'classic' espionage thriller

It was 1953, and nothing could shake William Denning’s resolve to leave the army and return to the States. Nothing, except one of the largest diamond hauls ever – which, in the wrong hands, on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, was a potentially lethal force. In a small village in the Swiss mountains, Denning discovered that there was not only a jewellery robbery at stake. In the ruthless world of espionage and international conspiracy his adversaries were the most unlikely people - and the most dangerous.

________________________

Her Sanctuary by Toni Anderson romantic suspense

Running for her life, ex-FBI agent Elizabeth Ward escapes to Montana with a new identity. She craves peace and solitude, but instead finds handsome rancher, Nat Sullivan.
​
Nat is trying to hold his ailing family together, while struggling to keep the ranch from bankruptcy. The last thing he needs is a beautiful stranger reminding him there is more to life than work.
​
But Elizabeth isn't what she seems. And when a murderer and rapist track her down to the remote ranch, they all find out about the power of revenge.

I hate (not really) when the nominations start as my TBR list expands. LOL

Agnieszka wrote: "I nominate two books this time:

Pray for a Brave Heart Helen MacInnes a 'classic' espionage thriller

It was 1953, and no..."
I read every book that Helen MacInnes wrote. I liked, especially, her laypeople caught up in World War II spy stories. Has anyone read them?

I wonder if a second (or umpteenth) reading this decade would be rewarding. I certainly held my breath waiting for the next book in that series.

I would love to discuss this book with everyone!
The Drowned Girls by Loreth Anne White.
This is b1 in the Angie Pallorino series.

He surfaced two years ago. Then he disappeared ...

But Detective Angie Pallorino never forgot the violent rapist who left a distinctive calling card—crosses etched into the flesh of his victim’s foreheads.

When a comatose Jane Doe is found in a local cemetery, sexually assaulted, mutilated, and nearly drowned, Angie is struck by the eerie similarities to her earlier unsolved rapes. Could he be back?
​
Then the body of a drowned young woman floats up in the Gorge, also bearing the marks of the serial rapist, and the hunt for a predator becomes a hunt for a killer. Assigned to the joint investigative task force, Angie is more than ready to prove that she has what it takes to break into the all-male homicide division. But her private life collides with her professional ambitions when she’s introduced to her temporary partner, James Maddocks—a man she’d met the night before in an intense, anonymous encounter.

Together, Angie and Maddocks agree to put that night behind them. But as their search for the killer intensifies so does their mutual desire. And Angie’s forays into the mind of a monster shake lose some unsettling secrets about her own past . . .

How can she fight for the truth when it turns out her whole life is a lie?

My second nominations is:
Splinter in the Blood by Ashley Dyer

A propulsive debut suspense novel, filled with secrets, nerve-jangling tension, perplexing mystery, and cold-blooded murder, in which a police officer on the hunt for a macabre serial killer is brutally attacked, and only his partner knows the truth about what happened—and who did it.

After months of hunting a cold-blooded murderer that the press has dubbed the Thorn Killer, Detective Greg Carver is shot in his own home. His trusted partner, Ruth Lake, is alone with him. Yet instead of calling for help, she’s rearranged the crime scene and wiped the room clean of prints.

But Carver isn’t dead.

Awakening in the hospital, Carver has no memory of being shot, but is certain that his assailant is the Thorn Killer. Though there’s no evidence to support his claim, Carver insists the attack is retaliation, an attempt to scare the detective off the psychopath’s scent, because he’s getting too close. Trapped in a hospital bed and still very weak, Carver’s obsession grows. He’s desperate to get back to work and finally nail the bastard, before more innocent blood is spilled.

One person knows the truth and she’s not telling. She’s also now leading the Thorn Killer investigation while Carver recuperates. It doesn’t matter that Carver and the rest of the force are counting on her, and that more victims’ lives at stake. Ruth is keeping a deadly secret, and she’ll cross every line—sacrificing her colleagues, her career, and maybe even her own life—to keep it from surfacing.

Utterly engrossing and filled with masterfully crafted surprises, Splinter in the Blood is a propulsive roller-coaster ride, filled with deception, nerve-jangling tension, perplexing mystery, and cold-blooded murder.

Charlene wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "I nominate two books this time:

Pray for a Brave Heart Helen MacInnes a 'classic' espionage thriller

I..."

I've read them. I would vote for anything Helen MacInnes wrote.

Sharon wrote: "I hate (not really) when the nominations start as my TBR list expands. LOL"

I completely agree! I don't tend to nominate, as I know you guys will have great recommendations, and I love reading the new books with ya'll. :) Ok, back to adding books to my TBR list. :)

I nominate
Threatening letters arrive in the mail over a period of weeks, ending with a simple declaration: “Think of any number…picture it…now see how well I know your secrets.” Those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly. But when oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle quickly ignite into a massive serial murder investigation, police are confronted with a baffling killer, one who is fond of rhymes filled with threats and warnings, whose attention to detail is unprecedented, and who has an uncanny knack for disappearing into thin air.

Brought in as an investigative consultant, Dave Gurney, a recently retired NYPD homicide investigator, soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that leave local police in awe. Yet, even as he matches wits with his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney’s tragedy-marred past rises up to haunt him, his marriage approaches a dangerous precipice, and he wonders if he’s met an adversary who can’t be stopped.

A work that defies easy labels--at once a propulsive masterpiece of suspense and an absorbing immersion in the lives of characters so real we seem to hear their heartbeats--Think of a Number is a novel you’ll not soon forget.

Jo Ann wrote: "I would love to discuss this book with everyone!
The Drowned Girls by Loreth Anne White.
This is b1 in the Angie Pallorino series.

He surfaced two years ag..."

I thought I had read this book, Jo Ann, but I have not gotten past "want to read" according to my goodreads info. Sounds intense...
and familiar, for some reason.

Jo Ann wrote: "My second nominations is:
Splinter in the Blood by Ashley Dyer

A propulsive debut suspense novel, filled with secrets, nerve-jangling tension, perplexing..."

This one also sounds familiar, but perhaps I've seen it nominated before???

Charlene wrote: "Jo Ann wrote: "I would love to discuss this book with everyone!
The Drowned Girls by Loreth Anne White.
This is b1 in the Angie Pallorino series.

He surfac..."

Ha! This group has posted about this book many, many times. And it's been up for nomination before. Maybe this time...

Charlene wrote: "Jo Ann wrote: "I would love to discuss this book with everyone!
The Drowned Girls by Loreth Anne White.
This is b1 in the Angie Pallorino series.

He surfac..."

Such a good series! I loved all 3 books.